PMinH-Pres-Jeep_Paul Brun

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Project Management in History
Series:
THE FIRST JEEP
A Case Study in Leadership
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Presented by
PAUL R. BRUNO, PMP, PgMP
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PAUL R. BRUNO, PMP, PgMP
Background & C.V.
26 years in state and local government information technology, 13 years
as a project manager
4 college degrees: MBA, Masters in History, BS Computer Software, BS
Management
Holds 2 certificates and an advanced certificate in IT project
management
Graduate of PMI Leadership Institute Masters Class and Class Advisor
Volunteer with PMI at both Global and Local level
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OVERVIEW
Show How A Structured Project Management Process
Was Used to Create The First Jeep
Process included the following phases:
Project genesis
General requirements
Project kickoff
Specific requirements
Bid, contract
Build
Testing/Acceptance
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THE SITUATION
German victories September 1939—June 1940
Poland
Denmark/Norway
The Low Countries
France
Japan on the march in Asia
Great Britain stands alone against Nazi’s
German Blitzkrieg tactics demonstrate use of combined arms (Army/Air
Force), use of tanks in massed formations and advances in hitherto
unseen ranges of mobility
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KEY STAKEHOLDER: THE
UNITED STATES ARMY
Army saw that German Blitzkrieg tactics clearly underscored need for
increased mobility
United States Army without a vehicle between the ½-ton truck and
motorcycle with sidecar and no plans to procure one in May 1940
Using mule to transport troops and light payloads
Need for this vehicle ran across many using branches of the Army
including Infantry, Cavalry, Ordnance and Field Artillery
Numerous stakeholders and competing requirements
U.S. Army procurement process in state of flux in 1940 adding
complexity
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KEY STAKEHOLDER: THE
AMERICAN BANTAM CAR
COMPANY
Founded in 1929 as American Austin Car Company
Sir Herbert Austin brings Austin vehicles from Great Britain
Austin 7 a very popular vehicle in Europe
Located in Butler, Pennsylvania, USA (30 miles northeast of
Pittsburgh)
American Austin bankrupt—1933
American Austin assets bought in 1935 by Roy Evans and renamed the
American Bantam Car Company
Premier, and only, builder of small vehicles in United States
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KEY STAKEHOLDER: THE
AMERICAN BANTAM CAR
COMPANY
American Bantam Car Company bankrupt in 1940
Key company players, Evans, Francis H. Fenn, President, Harold Crist,
Plant Manager
Fenn assigns Charles “Harry” Payne to Washington D.C., in February
1940 to procure military business
If military business not obtained American Bantam Car Company
disappears
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THE FIRST JEEP’S
LINEAGE
GREAT GRANDFATHER
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THE FIRST JEEP’S
LINEAGE
GREAT GRANDFATHER
GRANDFATHER
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THE FIRST JEEP’S
LINEAGE
GREAT GRANDFATHER
GRANDFATHER
FATHER
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THE FIRST JEEP’S
LINEAGE
BUT WAIT! DON’T FORGET ABOUT ME…
GREAT GRANDFATHER
GRANDFATHER
FATHER
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THE FIRST JEEP’S
LINEAGE
1926 AUSTIN 7
1931 AUSTIN ROADSTER
1939 BANTAM ROADSTER
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PROJECT GENESIS
Extensive Research Conducted During the 1930s
by Key Stakeholders
Cavalry
Light Command and Reconnaissance Car
Infantry—mobile weapons carrier
Howie machine gun carrier
Tested numerous vehicles for this purpose in late 1930s
o Marmon-Herrington ½-ton 4x4 best fit
The various using arms knew what they needed, but were not working
together in a coordinated manner
Quartermaster Corp bungles procurement of Marmon-Herrington for
Infantry in 1939—issue in 1940
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GENERAL
REQUIREMENTS
Developed in Late May—Early June 1940
Charles Payne able to connect with Infantry branch
Infantry branch rejects American Bantam vehicles as unsuited for
military purposes
Infantry branch has a vehicle in mind and willing to develop a set of
general requirements that American Bantam and other
manufacturers can consider
General requirements developed in two weeks by the Infantry branch
and encapsulated in a memo dated June 6, 1940
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GENERAL
REQUIREMENTS
Requirements included: minimum height 36 inches; maximum weight
750–1,000 pounds; adequate cross-country ability; carry .30-caliber
machine gun; crew capacity of two men; armored face shield for driver;
low ground clearance; 4-Wheel Drive
Armored face shield for driver added to keep procurement from being
spearheaded by Quartermaster Corp, but by the Ordnance using arm
due to bungled Marmon-Harrington 1939 procurement
No individual requirement new, but the sum never combined into one
vehicle
Concept vehicle named “the truck 4x4 light”
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PROJECT KICKOFF
June 19–20, 1940—Butler, Pennsylvania, USA
Initial support for project obtained from Cavalry and Ordnance—June 8,
1940-June 15, 1940
On June 15, 1940, influenced by Charles Payne's meeting with Sec. of
War Stimson, Ordnance requests a visit to Bantam to further develop
vehicle requirements
Visit takes place June 19-20, 1940, at Butler, PA, Factory
Fleshed out general requirements into a concept for a vehicle that could
be then refined into specific requirements
Key project risks Identified—weight and front axles
Developed initial concept drawing for vehicle
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CONCEPT DRAWING FOR TRUCK 4 x 4 LIGHT
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SPECIFIC
REQUIREMENTS
Concept and General Requirements Evolved into Detailed
Requirements to Which a Manufacturer Could Bid
Developed over 3-week period—June 21, 1940–July 10, 1940
Procurement shifted from Ordnance to Quartermaster Corps
o QMC: Using arm that procures for the Army
o
Driver’s armored face shield removed as a requirement
o
Removal of shield requirement re-classified vehicle as general
purpose, thus shifting responsibility for procuring the vehicle
from Ordnance
o
Procurement would be centered at Army Vehicle Center, Camp
Holabird, outside of Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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SPECIFIC
REQUIREMENTS
American Bantam Subject Matter Experts Assisted
Quartermaster consulted closely with the key using arms—Infantry and
Cavalry—bringing specifications to life
Chalk outline on floor
Full “cardboard” mockup
Wooden mockup actually test-driven
Two deliverables: specification ES-475 (18-pages) and Quartermaster
Drawing QM-08370-Z
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QUARTERMASTER DRAWING QM-08370-Z
(Unedited – 34”w x 17”h)
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QUARTERMASTER DRAWING QM-08370-Z
(Extracted Details)
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BID—CONTRACT
Negotiated Contract Versus Competitive Bid
American Bantam Expected Negotiated Contract
Quartermaster Decided to Put Vehicle out to Competitive Bid
Specification ES-475 and drawing QM-08370-Z sent to 135 companies
Key requirement – build a prototype in 49 days
Manufacturers given 10 days to prepare bids (July 11, 1940 -July 22,
1940)
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BID—CONTRACT
American Bantam Unprepared for Bid
Had no engineering staff to develop proposal due to being bankrupt
Detroit Engineer Karl K. Probst hired
o Probst initially resisted going to Butler
o Probst pressured by officials at the highest levels to assist
Probst arrives in Butler by July 18, 1940
Probst and Fenn complete bid specification and drawing in two days—
July 18, 1940–July 20, 1940
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BID—CONTRACT
Key Issue: Weight Requirement—1,300 pounds
Fenn and Probst list weight on first cut of bid forms at 1,800 pounds
10 hours before presentation to QMC, midnight July 21-22, 1940, bid
forms reviewed in Baltimore hotel room
Charles Payne “schools” Probst and Fenn that they can not bid weight at
1,800 pounds or will be rejected
Forms retyped through predawn hours to change the weight: listed as
1,273 pounds
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BID—CONTRACT
Bid Awarded
Bids received and processed July 22, 1940
4 proposers, only American Bantam had completed bid package
o Two proposers refused to bid stating building a prototype in 49
day was impossible
Willys-Overland Motors, Inc. initially awarded bid, but was rejected
because they could not deliver the prototype in 49 days. They bid 75
days.
Having agreed to deliver prototype in 49 days, American Bantam
awarded contract
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BID—CONTRACT
Project Charter and Contract Terms
After award project reviewed at highest levels of the Army
Chief of Staff—George C. Marshall signs off on project
For remainder of the project his memo acts as charter and outline for
contract terms
Contract Terms
Build Prototype in 49 days
If late, financial penalty that could result in lost award
Start date: August 6, 1940—End date: September 23, 1940—5:00 PM
If prototype accepted, order for 69 more vehicles
Contract amount—$175,000
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BUILD
Challenge—Build Revolutionary New Vehicle in 49 days to Exacting
Standards for a Client Who Will Test the Vehicle under the Harshest
Conditions
Prototype was one of a kind original—never built before
Established a small high performance team
Fenn, Probst, Crist
To complete core team, hired two hands-on subject matter experts,
Chester Hempfling and Ralph Turner
Had other staff available as needed
Odds of their success by Detroit experts placed at 5-to-1
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BUILD
Challenge—Build Revolutionary New Vehicle in 49 days to Exacting
Standards for a Client Who Will Test the Vehicle under the Harshest
Conditions
Strategy—inside-out engineering
Build parts, then blueprint
Use off-the-shelf parts whenever possible
Handmade any part that could not be found off-the-shelf
Key Risks
Weight—chose to ignore
Front Axle—Spicer Manufacturing
o Only axle manufacturer who could produce the 4 wheel drive
axle—
o American Bantam had been in discussions with Spicer about the
front axle since project kickoff
o Could they develop this axle in less than 49 days and deliver to
American Bantam?
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BLUEPRINT FOR CLUTCH SHAFT LEVER
This—and others
which were
found—
supposedly no
longer existed.
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BUILD
Challenge—Build Revolutionary New Vehicle in 49 days to Exacting
Standards for a Client Who Will Test the Vehicle under the Harshest
Conditions
Front axle delivered on September 19, 1940s
Decided on risky adaptation of a Studebaker axle
4 days to prototype delivery date
Vehicle completed in 47 days by September 21, 1940
Vehicle christened Bantam Reconnaissance Car (BRC)
One day to test and outfit vehicle—September 22, 1940
Vehicle delivered on 49th day with only a ½-hour to spare at 4:30 PM
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THE FIRST JEEP—SEPTEMBER 21, 1940
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TEST
Goal of Army Vehicle Testers was
to Break Any Vehicle They were Given
Vehicle tested in any and all manner of operation
Mud Hole—only vehicles to make it through before prototype were
large 6-wheeled trucks
Total miles driven during tests—3,410
Ralph Turner on-site mechanic
Vehicle did not break during testing
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ACCEPTANCE
BRC Accepted with Conditions
3 final test reports submitted
Numerous changes and adjustments suggested
Overall BRC vastly exceeded client expectations
BRC accepted on October 18, 1940 and order placed for balance of 69
vehicles
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TRIPLE CONSTRAINT FOR
THE FIRST JEEP PROTOTYPE PROJECT
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CONCLUSIONS
Structured Project Management Used
Identifiable Phases
Identifiable Deliverables for Each Phase
High Performance Project Team
Both for the Army and American Bantam
Despite the odds, project was On-Time, Within Budget, and Met Scope at
a High Quality Level
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Thank You for Attending!
for More Information Visit:
thefirstjeep.com
Project Management in History:
THE FIRST JEEP
available at Amazon.com (paperback/Kindle) and
Barnesandnoble.com (paperback/Nook)
Footnote:
All facts and information in this presentation came from material researched at the United States National Archives, College Park Maryland or used with
permission.
Jeep is a registered trademark of Chrysler Group, LLC, Auburn Hills, MI.
either the presenter nor any contributors to this work have any affiliation with Chrysler Group LLC.
If you have any questions on source material contact Paul Bruno at paulrbruno@cs.com
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